


Hey Martin, I Like Your Shirt!

by idareu2bme



Category: The Magnus Archives (Podcast)
Genre: AU Season 1, Angst and Humor, Do not post to another site, Flirting, Jealousy, M/M, Misunderstandings, Pining, This Is STUPID, i love martin, i love tim stoker, im so sorry for torturing our lovely martin, matchmaker tim stoker, tim stoker is a sweetheart but also an idiot, tim stoker smirks a lot, tim stokers logic is ridiculous, unbetaed, what the hell even is this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-02
Updated: 2019-10-02
Packaged: 2020-11-15 12:09:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,806
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20865998
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/idareu2bme/pseuds/idareu2bme
Summary: Tim has started shamelessly flirting with Martin around the office. Martin can tell it's an act, but what he doesn't understand is why Tim's doing it in the first place.





	Hey Martin, I Like Your Shirt!

**Author's Note:**

  * For [kristsune](https://archiveofourown.org/users/kristsune/gifts).

"Hey Martin, I like your shirt."

Martin looked up from the counter to find Tim standing much closer than usual. He didn't visibly startle --at least he didn’t think he did, but it was a close thing. Wide-eyed, he glanced down at his shirt to confirm it wasn’t a new one. No, it was one he’d worn to work many times before.

"Oh, uh, thank you, Tim," he said, cheeks going warm under the smirk Tim was directing at him. "Th-that's nice of you to say."

Tim had an entire arsenal of smiles, but different as each of them was, they were all better described as smirks. Martin had seen a good many of them over the time he’d worked with Tim, but he hadn't been on the receiving end of this particular smirk before. If he were a more self-confident man, he'd describe it as flirty. However, that didn't make any sense because... well... it was directed at him.

Martin gave Tim an attempt at a friendly smile in return (but it was likely more a grimace) before turning back to finish preparing tea. Tim didn't back away. Instead, he stepped closer. Martin bit his lip and concentrated on pouring the hot water. His skin actually prickled with Tim’s close proximity. He set down the kettle and was about to ask Tim if he needed something when Tim leaned _ even further _ into his space.

"Making the boss tea?" asked Tim.

Martin's brow wrinkled.

"Yes," he replied, voice carefully measured. "I do every morning."

"I know," said Tim. "You're very good at it."

Martin frowned. It wasn't hard; he heated the water, poured it into a cup and dropped in a teabag. It wasn't really something someone could be good or bad at. Jon drank his black, so Martin didn’t even have to worry about adding anything. Perhaps if he were making a fancier tea with loose leaves and specific temperatures and...

"Did you want some?" asked Martin, cutting his own mental dialogue off mid-sentence.

"Ah, no thanks. I prefer something sweeter," said Tim with another flirty(?) smirk.

“You can add sugar or, uh, we have honey.”

Tim’s smirk grew into an actual smile, his eyes sparkled with humour. It was quite a nice smile, but the whole situation was too perplexing. And he was still standing way, way too close.

Martin waited a beat but Tim said nothing else, just continued to stand too close and smile at him. Martin nervously cleared his throat.

"Right," he said. "Well, I... better take this to J-Jon before it gets cold."

"Of course," said Tim finally seeming to realize he was in Martin's way and stepping to the side.

Martin kept a wary eye on Tim as he walked out of the staff kitchen, so wasn’t looking where he was going and nearly ran right in to Jon.

"Oh! Sorry!" exclaimed Martin, just managing to keep the tray with Jon's tea upright. "I, uh... sorry... I was bringing your morning tea."

“I see that,” said Jon, his face scrunched up in obvious annoyance. “You can just set it on my desk.”

“Right,” said Martin, deflating as Jon’s attention so quickly slid away from him even in light of their almost crash.

“Sasha,” spoke Jon as he stepped past Martin, “I have a question about the…”

Martin stopped listening as he stepped into Jon’s office and set the tray down on the desk. He straightened the papers scattered across Jon’s desk to make room for the teacup and saucer before setting said teacup and saucer down on the left side of the desk --better for Jon to reach. Then, he took his tray and quickly left. His little gift of tea that morning was definitely undercut by the whole near-crash thing, so there was no point delaying getting started on his own work any further as that would just make Jon cross. Martin let out a defeated sigh.

\----

“Have you done something different with your hair?” asked Tim two mornings later apropos of nothing. 

Martin looked up from his computer monitor to see Tim turned around at his desk so that he was facing Martin. His eyes were narrowed thoughtfully and his head tilted ever so slightly to the right. It felt a lot to be under Tim’s sudden scrutiny like that and Martin could feel himself blushing against his will.

“Uh, no?” he said. “I don’t think so?”

Tim was silent for a beat, eyes narrowing further. He rolled his chair closer to Martin and tilted his head further to the right. Martin noticed him lick his lips and panicked a bit for looking. 

“Well, it looks good,” said Tim, face brightening with another smirk that was actually more smile. “Not that it doesn’t always look good, of course. I just kind of noticed it a bit more today.”

Martin touched at his hair without meaning to. When he realized he’d done it, he quickly dropped his hand.

“Uh, thank you?”

Martin startled when he heard Jon’s office door shut much harder than usual. He whipped around in his seat to see Jon’s closed door but no Jon. Frowning, he turned back to Tim. Tim just winked at him and went back to work.

\----

That evening, like usual, the three of them were leaving the archives after finishing up work for the day. What wasn’t usual, was that Jon was leaving at the same time. Usually, he worked later than the rest of them saying that he got more work done when the place was quiet. 

The four of them were getting their jackets from the closet, readying to brave the cold wet of January. Tim was teasing Sasha about some new guy who worked in the office upstairs. Jon was silently bundling up. Martin surreptitiously watched him tie his scarf around his neck while he pulled on his own coat. Jon’s movements were always so collected and precise. Martin found it mesmerising. 

He wondered what had Jon leaving work on time for once. He was mostly worrying that it might be a date with some lucky person who’d actually managed to catch Jon’s eye. So, he didn’t notice Tim approach him until Tim’s arm was slung over his shoulders. Martin startled and looked over at Tim with wide eyes.

“What are your plans for the evening?” asked Tim, his tone somehow making the question sound dirty. 

“Oh, uh,” stammered Martin as Tim pressed himself right up against Martin’s side. “I… was just… planning on a, uh, quiet night in.”

“Hmm,” said Tim almost breathily. “Sounds nice. Want company?”

“Uh…” managed Martin though it felt like the wind had just been knocked out of him. 

Tim couldn’t possibly be serious?

“Timothy Jane Stoker,” admonished Sasha with a laugh. “Stop bothering poor Martin, you promised to walk me home.”

“Right, right, so I did,” said Tim, removing his arm from Martin and stepping out of his space. 

Martin let out a breath, thinking himself free. But, of course, Tim turned back to him. Martin froze.

“Maybe next time, yeah?” said Tim with a wink.

Sasha rolled her eyes and tugged on Tim’s arm.

Martin opened his mouth to respond, but he had nothing to say, so closed it again. Tim was already walking out the door with Sasha, anyway. 

Martin glanced over at Jon to find him giving him a considering look. Martin blushed. He silently cursed his pale skin before giving Jon a weak smile and shrug. He picked up his bag and made to leave. 

“Good night, Jon,” he managed to squeak before heading out the door.

He wondered as he walked home, what had gotten into Tim lately and, more importantly, what Jon had thought of that whole exchange.

\----

  
  
  
  
  


Something strange was definitely going on with Tim. 

Martin watched out of the corner of his eye as Tim went back to his own desk, his arm still tingling from where Tim had been stroking it. He absently clicked around the webpage he'd been on before Tim had accosted him. But, to be quite honest, he was much too busy contemplating the oddity that was Timothy Stoker to really care all that much about researching their current ‘statement of the week’.

It had been nearly two weeks of Tim's attention being suddenly, unexpectedly, and increasingly shamelessly placed on him. And, finally, Martin had recognized the pattern. 

At first, he had a hard time even believing it, but it had quickly become too obvious to deny; Tim truly was flirting with him -- _ at _ him, to be more precise. It had been surreal (and, well, okay, a bit of an ego-boost) when he’d first come to terms with the realization. The only thing keeping Martin grounded through it all was his second realization; the flirting was more an act than genuine interest. And that became especially obvious once Martin had discovered the pattern... 

Tim only flirted with Martin when Jon was around to witness it. 

What Martin still hadn't figured out was the motive. Was this some sort of prank? Was Tim trying to upset Jon? Was he making fun of Martin's crush? Was... was he interested in Jon himself and hoping to use Martin to make Jon jealous?

Martin glanced over at Tim who was now seated at his own desk and rummaging through stacks of files. Tim was a special sort, a bit of a wanker at times, but Tim wasn't cruel...

Best to let it play out. The answer would reveal itself eventually.

\-----

Nice as it was to have someone’s attention directed on him for once, Martin had a hard time keeping a straight face through Tim’s flirting once he knew it was all an act.

Like when Martin gave himself a paper cut the next day and, at the sound of his sucking in a pained breath, Tim was immediately out of his chair and guiding Martin with an arm around his shoulders to the first aid kit. Sure, it was nice to be fussed over, but the charade of it had Martin rolling his eyes.

Or the following week when Tim brought Martin a box of chocolates and dramatically placed it on Martin’s desk with a bow and a flourish saying “something sweet, for the sweetest man I know.” Martin had smiled and graciously thanked him, inwardly amused and impressed by how committed Tim was to whatever the hell this whole... thing was. 

Tim was adorable, but Martin was waiting for the other shoe to drop.

\----

"Tim," came Jon's voice, abrupt and sharp causing Martin to startle and Tim's entire posture to loosen. "I need to see you in my office."

"About bloody time," muttered Tim before hopping off Martin's desk. Martin watched him go feeling both confused and anxious. 

Jon was standing in his office doorway, his face pinched in obvious annoyance, a muscle in his jaw twitching hard enough that Martin saw it from across the room. Jon's glare only intensified at how slowly Tim moved as he sauntered his way over to him. Martin quickly turned back to his work when Jon's dark eyes shifted his way.

Once Tim and Jon were off in Jon's office, the door firmly shut, Sasha caught Martin's eye. Martin gave her a weak smile.

“You okay, Martin?” she asked.

“Of course,” answered Martin, voice coming out much higher than he had expected. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

“Because notorious man-slut, Tim Stoker was practically sprawled across your desk?” asked Sasha with a raised eyebrow and a small smile.

“Yes, well,” stuttered Martin.

“He’s been especially flirty with you lately,” she said sounding thoughtful, but not confused by it. Martin wondered if Tim had told her what he was up to, them being such close friends and all. “I hope you know he’s harmless. If he’s making you uncomfortable, you can just tell him to stop and he will.”

“I know, well, I figured as much, anyway,” said Martin. “It’s a lot, but it’s okay. I’m more… curious? I guess?”

Sasha raised her eyebrows.

“NOT--not like _ that _ ,” stammered Martin. “I mean… Listen, I know Tim isn’t _ actuall _ y interested in _ me _. So, I’m curious about what he’s up to. I thought letting it play out would be the easiest way to find out why.”

Sasha frowned and opened her mouth to speak, but voices suddenly raised in Jon's office (as they were wont to do whenever Tim was in a confined space with Jon). Sasha closed her mouth and instead shared a sardonic smile with Martin. He shook his head. Jon and Tim really rubbed each other the wrong way. Jon was easily irritated and Tim quite liked pushing people's buttons. 

Martin tried to concentrate on the voices, but couldn't make out the words into anything intelligible, until...

"FRATERNIZATION!" exclaimed Tim suddenly, sounding as if he were repeating it from whatever Jon had said. "You sorry _ twat _!!"

Martin turned wide eyes back onto Sasha who let out a low whistle.

"He's going to get fired for that one," said Martin fearfully.

"Naw," said Sasha, but she didn't sound sure.

There was a bit more yelling before it all went quiet again. Martin waited. He expected Tim to come storming out at any moment, but nothing.

“Do… do you think they killed each other?” asked Martin.

Sasha giggled.

Martin smiled nervously, proud to have made her laugh, but also worried that maybe it was actually what had happened. What were they talking about? He had a sinking feeling it was about Tim’s flirting. What if Jon’s jealousy had come to a head and… oh lord... what if they were snogging?

Martin felt faint.

Suddenly, the door opened and Tim came out with a familiar, self-satisfied smirk on his face. His hair wasn’t mussed like someone had been running their hands through it and he had no stab wounds on his person. So, no snogging and no killing. Wow.

“Think about it, Jon,” said Tim over his shoulder.

“Close the damn door, Stoker,” came Jon’s growl from inside the office.

Tim’s smirk grew and he shut the door.

Tim caught Martin staring and winked at him. Martin was facetiously starting to wonder if the man actually just had a very pronounced eye-twitch for all that he winked at Martin lately.

"What was all that about? Are you going to be fired?" whispered Martin once Tim had plonked himself back down on the top of Martin’s desk -- he seemed to have decided it was his chair that week. 

"Pfft, no," said Tim careless and easy. "Jon knows he needs me."

“Still, maybe don't go out of your way to piss him off _ quite _ so often," said Sasha with a roll of her eyes.

“Why? Would you miss me if I were fired?” asked Tim, batting his eyelashes at Sasha.

She just rolled her eyes again and got back to her work.

"Well that's... good, so what was all that about?" asked Martin.

Tim grinned and leaned down so that his face was ridiculously close to Martin’s. It was that moment that Jon opened his office door, again. Tim and Martin turned in unison. Jon looked sheepish and then irritated all over again when he saw them.

"I... uh, Martin... could you come to my office for a minute?"

“Well, that was way sooner than I expected,” intoned Tim sounding impressed.

Martin gave him a nervous glance before quickly getting to his feet and, after a moment’s thought, grabbing his notepad incase Jon just wanted him for more field research.

"I'll tell you tonight over drinks," called Tim in answer to Martin’s earlier question.

Martin gave him a confused look since they’d never agreed to go for drinks, but nodded. Tim answered with a lascivious wink. Martin quickly turned his back to him to find Jon glaring past him at Tim with a clenched jaw. It really must have been jealousy. Martin took a deep breath and stepped into Jon’s office letting Jon shut the door behind him.

\-----

Tim made a big deal about that fact that he and Martin were leaving together to get drinks that even when they were don work. It was funny because Sasha was going with them, too. Well, it _ would _ have been funny if Martin hadn’t realized he was some sort of pawn in Tim and Jon’s strange courting dance of jealousy and antagonism. 

Tim had made sure to leave the archives with his arm around Martin’s waist, but once they were out on the city streets, Martin pushed him away and he went easily. Sasha stepped in and walked beside Martin, giving him a warm smile. Martin smiled weakly back, but didn’t say anything. He really just wanted to go home and hide in bed with a book. Tim may have promised answers, but Martin wasn’t sure he wanted to hear his fears confirmed. 

“So what did Jon want?” asked Sasha, once they were seated in a booth at the pub with their beers.

“Oh, uh,” started Martin. “I’m not actually sure?”

“What?” snapped Tim, looking suddenly intense.

Martin blinked a few times in surprise.

“Well, he… he didn’t… he was acting kind of strange,” Martin stumbled over the words before his words hardened with his irritation with Tim. “Maybe he was still distracted from his confrontation with _ you _ just before.”

Tim laughed completely unbothered by the anger Martin had allowed to slip into his words.

“I’m positive he was,” said Tim and Martin grit his teeth.

Sasha leaned against Martin’s side. Martin deflated. He wasn’t one to be outwardly cross; it felt awful and he was already feeling awful enough without adding to it. 

“So,” said Martin more softly as he looked down at the condensation on the side of his beer. “What was that all about, anyway?”

Tim leaned back on the opposite side of the booth and spread his free arm out across the top of the seat. 

“Oh, he was mad at me for being ‘unprofessional in the workplace’,” said Tim, smirking as usual. “I was flirting much too openly with you.”

“At me,” corrected Martin under his breath even while he blushed.

“I think he was just jealous, though,” added Tim before taking a long swig of his beer.

Martin’s heart sped up. Here it came, the moment when Tim confirmed all Martin’s fears. Tim _ had _ wanted to make Jon jealous by flirting with him and, apparently, it had worked. Martin took a drink of his own beer and forced his emotions to go back down along with the large swallow of beer.

“So, tell me, Tim,” said Sasha. “What’s with all the eyebrow wiggling and stupid winks, anyway? Poor Martin has been putting up with a lot from you lately.”

“I was trying to make Jon jealous,” said Tim, simply.

Martin closed his eyes and focused on his breathing.

“You what?” laughed Sasha.

Suddenly, a large, warm hand closed over Martin’s clenched fist. Martin opened his eyes to see Tim leaning across the table and looking at him with sincerity in his eyes. He must have _ finally _realized how much his thing with Jon was bothering Martin.

“Listen, Martin,” said Tim. “I know you love Jon.”

Martin shuddered and looked down at the table. He started to pull his hand out from Tim’s but Tim quickly covered it with his other hand, too.

“It’s okay, Martin,” said Tim. “Everyone knows --well, except for Jon because he’s an obtuse twat. But listen, I knew you were crushing hard on Jon (lord knows why) and Jon, well, Jon’s a piece of work, but I could tell he likes you back.”

The bottom suddenly fell out of Martin’s stomach. He looked up at Tim with wild, wide eyes. Tim raised an eyebrow and his smirk returned to his face. Martin turned to Sasha at his side and she smiled and nodded.

“The problem is,” said Tim. “Jon’s stupid.”

Sasha giggled.

“I knew he was too stupid and stuffy and repressed and, I don’t know, whatever else to make a move,” continued Tim. “And it was getting painful watching you pine while he got all too comfortable having you dote on him. So, I thought I’d make him sweat a bit, y’know? Make him think I was moving in on his crush. I wanted him worried, that you might get snatched up right from under his stupid, big, crooked nose -- because he _ should _ worry! You’re way too good for him, Martin.”

Martin laughed in surprise and relief and… incredulity. He didn’t even know how to react, there was too much to react to. Tim gave his hand a squeeze and then let it go.

“Tim, you disaster!” exclaimed Sasha, laughing. “I knew you were up to something, but good grief! That’s so demented, and also really quite--”

“Sweet,” said Martin, smiling.

Tim smiled back and, to Martin’s great delight, began to blush. It was delicious payback for the amount of times Tim had made Martin blush against his will over the past few weeks. 

“Well, it worked didn’t it?” he said looking a touch embarrassed. “Jon asked you out when he called you to his office, didn’t he? That’s what you weren’t saying before?”

Martin frowned.

“No.”

“WHAT!?” exclaimed Tim, rising from his seat and slamming his hands on the table, causing everyone in the rest of the pub to look their way. “HE ADMITTED HE WAS JEALOUS AND THEN PROMISED HE’D… FECK! That pigeon-hearted, gutless, dodgy little--”

“Huh,” breathed Martin in sudden realization.

“What?” asked Tim, still looming and breathing heavily.

“Sit down, you nutter,” hissed Sasha, pushing Tim backward.

“Maybe…” said Martin thoughtfully, his heart beating rapidly as hope shot through his chest in a warm ray. “That’s why he was acting so strange when he asked me into his office. He kept starting and stopping, kept saying my name and then looking ill. I think… I think he was trying to ask me out. Wow! That’s… that’s…”

“That’s pathetic,” said Tim.

“Adorable,” amended Martin. 

Martin knew his face was split practically in half with his smile. He tried to hide it behind his beer bottle by taking another drink. At least he was able to hold in the happy, dreamy sigh trying to come out.

Jonathan Sims wanted to ask him out.

_ Jonathan Sims _ wanted to ask _ him _ out. 

Jonathan Sims _ had tried _ to ask him out, but got too flustered to go through with it.

_ Martin Blackwood _ could fluster _ Jonathan Sims _. 

Martin’s smile only grew. Tim wasn’t into Jon. Tim had been trying to push Jon into asking Martin out because Jon was actually into him. That… that… it was hard to believe, but it was wonderful. Damn. He hoped Jon would work up the courage to actually ask, soon. For now he’d just enjoy knowing his crush was mutual and that his friends had his back. 

**Author's Note:**

> If you liked this fic, please come be friends on tumblr! I'm [idareu2bme](https://idareu2bme.tumblr.com) on there.


End file.
